FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- For New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn, it must have felt like deja vu -- a walk-off win against a Kirk Cousins-quarterbacked team in Week 13 of the season.
Glenn experienced it in 2021, when the Detroit Lions -- after an 0-10-1 start -- beat the Minnesota Vikings on Amon-Ra St. Brown's touchdown as time expired. On Sunday, it was Nick Folk with a field goal against the Atlanta Falcons.
Formerly the Lions defensive coordinator, Glenn occasionally compares then to now, how those Lions -- once a laughingstock -- turned themselves into a playoff team in Year 3 of Dan Campbell's program. These Jets -- 3-9 after an 0-7 start -- have a chance to end the season on an upswing, much like the Lions did when they won three of their last six in '21.
"I can clearly see it," Glenn said, meaning his vision becoming reality.
Until that happens -- if it happens -- they will have to celebrate small victories. It's what rebuilding teams do. It's what they do when the postseason is off the table; the Jets are on the verge of missing it for the 15th straight year -- the NFL's longest active drought. It's what they do when the team is in the embryonic stages of learning how to win.
"People are buying into the culture," defensive tackle Harrison Phillips said, "and it's working."
There will be no Super Bowl parade in February, no playoff party in January. It's all about modest accomplishments, like having more wins than six 2024 playoff teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, since Week 8. That said, here are the Jets' top 10 small wins:
1. The Jets are winning without some of their best players. They haven't had star wide receiver Garrett Wilson (knee) for any of their wins. They traded cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams -- both former All-Pros -- on Nov. 4, when the record was 1-7. In fact, Gardner was injured and didn't play in that win. P.S.: Wilson is eligible to return next week.
2. They hang around until the end. The Jets have been involved in seven straight games that were within one score in the fourth quarter. In truth, they've been blown out only twice (Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys). In the NFL, a narrow defeat falls into the "so-close, yet-so-far" category because most games are decided by one score, but at least they're not getting overwhelmed.
3. Coming from behind isn't a foreign concept. They've trailed in all three wins, with two of them requiring dramatic comebacks in the fourth quarter. Glenn loved how they "gutted out" the 27-24 win against the Falcons, scoring 10 points in the final two minutes, Sunday. He keeps using the word "grit" to describe their mindset.
4. They're truly dominant in one phase of the game. We're talking about special teams, of course.
First-year coordinator Chris Banjo, 35, only three years removed from his playing days, is doing a masterful job. The Jets are No. 3 in special teams EPA (Expected Points Added), thanks to Folk, punter Austin McNamara and returners Isaiah Williams and Kene Nwangwu -- all of whom rank among the best at their respective positions.
"Banjo preaches buy-in, but with buy-in, you also have to stay-in -- and that's what we've been doing," said Qwan'tez Stiggers, a gunner on the punt team.
5. The defense hasn't fallen off without Gardner and Williams -- in some respects, it has improved. Consider these stats.
Pre-trade deadline: The Jets yielded 27.6 points per game and compiled a -40.02 EPA.
Post-deadline: They've allowed 23.5 points per game, with a -22.55 EPA. These are middle-of-the-pack numbers, nothing to get excited about, but things could've nosedived after trading away their two most accomplished defenders.
Now if they could only intercept a pass...
6. They have Breece Hall. Remember in the spring, when Glenn said Hall would be part of a three-back committee? That fueled a few headlines. Those days are gone, in part, because of Braelon Allen's season-ending knee injury. The main reason, though, is Hall, who has won over the coaching staff.
Hall is only 166 yards shy of becoming the Jets' first 1,000-yard rusher since Chris Ivory in 2015. Hall played 88% of the offensive snaps Sunday, the second-highest percentage of his career -- one week after he wasn't on the field for a critical fourth-down play that failed.
Explaining Hall's increased usage, Glenn cracked, "Well, you guys got pissed at me last week for not playing him."
7. Look, an identity! This Jets team will never be confused with a high-powered offense (25th in points per game), but at least it knows what they want to be -- and they usually they show it.
Their rushing attack accounts for 48% of the offense, easily the largest ratio in the league. It's been a while since they had an identity, probably not since the Ground & Pound days under Rex Ryan, circa 2010.
8. Continuity on the offensive line: Known in recent years for being ravaged by injuries, the line has remained intact since Week 1. The Jets are the only team that has started the same five in every game, according to ESPN Research. In fact, they haven't gone this far into a season with the same five since 2012, per the Jets.
To be fair, they did lose right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker to a season-ending injury before Week 1 -- and that hurt -- but they adjusted quickly and have become a solid unit, especially in the run game.
"It's been huge, man," left guard John Simpson said of the continuity. "We've got guys with nicks and bruises, but they go out there every day and wrap it up and continue to compete. That has O-line room has some scrappy guys in there."
9. They're developing talent on the fly. On Sunday, seven rookies and second-year players played at least 45 snaps, including four 2025 draft picks. It also includes second-year wide receiver Adonai Mitchell, acquired in the Gardner trade. Mitchell, coming off an eight-catch, 102-yard game, has solidified a place in the team's 2026 plan.
"I just think his confidence is at an all-time high right now, and we want to continue to get him the ball as much as we can," Glenn said.
10. Glenn, too, is gaining valuable experience. There were some glaring game-management hiccups earlier in the season (see: the wacky two-minute drill before halftime against the Denver Broncos in London). Glenn believes this is the area where he has improved the most, and it showed up Sunday as he managed the clock during some frantic final moments.
"I've become confident in my thought process," he said of his overall game management.